So you think you can Bard? (Bard discussion)

ArchivedUser

Thought I'd throw up a discussion about the bard and what are some abilities you might hope to see bards have?

According to the kickstarter marketing material, 

"Truly a force multiplier, the Bard weaves songs of glory and conquest, inspiring his comrades to ever greater heights. The Bard knows secret and powerful words, able to speak into being terrible nightmares, or to convince foes to becomes friends.

Bards are most likely more powerful in a party/raid. They seem to potentially have a role in crowd control or even "taming/charming" enemies to fight for them.

Here's one idea to start the ball rolling.

Bard/Summoner "Charmer/Seducer" - Ability to cast a spell on a certain type of mob and "charming/seducing" it instead of defeating it in battle. This mob becomes a permanent summon allowing the bard to always have it at his/her beck and call. The mob's stats will definitely have to be tweaked to ensure balance.

what do you guys think? or do you have other cool ideas for bard abillities/combinations?

ArchivedUser

I'm interested in Tank/Bard , I'd like to see some augments with the bard in tank spec like mystical dance buffs or charming the enemy's with a song or a protective barrier while playing a flute or some sort.. and maybe before a group adventure I could tell a story and give everyone a nice buff before a pull Like a motivational speech or song.

Kinda thinking out loud on this one.

ArchivedUser

Bard/tank could be "Commander" standing at the front shouting at everyone, inspiring etc. That could be fun, but that might be more fitting for tank/bard

ArchivedUser

Julemanden said:

Bard/tank could be "Commander" standing at the front shouting at everyone, inspiring etc. That could be fun, but that might be more fitting for tank/bard

Yah, I'm super interested in more information on bard to figure out what path I want to take but I'm sure we have lots of time to decide.

ArchivedUser

Julemanden said:

Bard/tank could be "Commander" standing at the front shouting at everyone, inspiring etc. That could be fun, but that might be more fitting for tank/bard

Yeah, or a Strategist or something. Buffing the party's defensive capabilities in combat. While the bard/fighter would focus more on offensive buffs maybe?

ArchivedUser

Dwarfatarms said:

I'm interested in Tank/Bard , I'd like to see some augments with the bard in tank spec like mystical dance buffs or charming the enemy's with a song or a protective barrier while playing a flute or some sort.. and maybe before a group adventure I could tell a story and give everyone a nice buff before a pull Like a motivational speech or song.

Kinda thinking out loud on this one.

I'm wondering as well if the bard/tank will still have to focus on music, or will it be okay for it to focus on inspiring the party through words and actions and/or fancy morale boosting fancy fight moves. 

Like a standard bearer or something. It'll be really interesting if the combination of bard and martial class turned it more into a Charismatic Warlord of sort instead of a musician.

ArchivedUser

@AutumnWillow I remember Jeff saying in a stream that the bard will not be something we are traditionally used to seeing. Whatever that means, yes I agree it will be interesting and the excitement is almost unbearable.

ArchivedUser

Dwarfatarms said:

@AutumnWillow I remember Jeff saying in a stream that the bard will not be something we are traditionally used to seeing. Whatever that means, yes I agree it will be interesting and the excitement is almost unbearable.

That picture... Lol.

ArchivedUser

Bard Bard just sounds like the moon moon of classes Compared to other classes like tank tank, it just sounds wierd. For some reason that makes me think of barking, which bardvice would be singing I guess...

So can Bard Bard be made into some vocal character? (To save money make everyone from the team chant one thing, then add that to a skill).

ArchivedUser

SUMMONER, BARD SMALL PART MAYBE YES!

ArchivedUser

Alternate mana idea - Tempo. 

Tempo builds when you perform actions relating to your primary class. 

So as a fighter, you gain tempo while dealing damage. As a tank you gain tempo while taking damage. As a bard, you have a range of skills that builds tempos, as well as some primary class bard-specific skills that uses tempo. 

You spend tempo for team buffs relating to your primary class. Bard/Bards (Bards/Bards?) will have greater variances than other /Bards. 

Bards/ primarily builds tempo using their Bard skills. They provide passive buffs that scales to the level of their tempo. Unlike /Bards, their choices of active tempo-spending skills are limited. They will mainly spend using their Bards/ skills.

ArchivedUser

A bard\bard could be a Virtuoso, doubling down on the group buff mechanics. Maybe focus on mana/spirit management. Heh heh. 

Hmm on the other hand, bard\bard, 2 bards = Bardtocks. 

ArchivedUser

Cyreph said:

Alternate mana idea - Tempo. 

Tempo builds when you perform actions relating to your primary class. 

So as a fighter, you gain tempo while dealing damage. As a tank you gain tempo while taking damage. As a bard, you have a range of skills that builds tempos, as well as some primary class bard-specific skills that uses tempo. 

You spend tempo for team buffs relating to your primary class. Bard/Bards (Bards/Bards?) will have greater variances than other /Bards. 

Bards/ primarily builds tempo using their Bard skills. They provide passive buffs that scales to the level of their tempo. Unlike /Bards, their choices of active tempo-spending skills are limited. They will mainly spend using their Bards/ skills.

Not a big fan of resource building mechanics but it's definitely an interesting idea. Songs gaining power the longer the song goes?

ArchivedUser

I think it would be so awesome if there could be singing pretty songs involved. Perhaps when the fight music is playing there is a pretty bard song that goes with it. If it's too much just sitting there casting buffs, I may not play the class. At the moment I am wanting to be a Bard/summoner or summoner/bard. 
I love the ideas in here. I hope their plans are as exciting as the suggestions you all have put in here!

ArchivedUser

I would prefer bard/bard. Thinking that primary bard gives attack speed where as adding Secondary bard at attack power to that as well. So if you would roll bard/bard your buffs would be better for damage. 

Or bard/cleric gives attack speed and 2% health healed per hit. 

These are the type of bard mechanics I am expecting.

ArchivedUser

Well I'm excited because it's not going to be a classic passive bard but will be more active xD so no idea what to expect I'm imaging something along the line of a ffxiv bard so I'll be playing that to practice my active bard skills

ArchivedUser

If they don't make the pun about using an axe (electric guitar) as an axe, I'm going to be disappointed.

ArchivedUser

TheTasteOfInk said:

If they don't make the pun about using an axe (electric guitar) as an axe, I'm going to be disappointed.

Maybe for a Bard/Tank.

Because he'll be into heavy metal...

ArchivedUser

Ghostblade said:

I would prefer bard/bard. Thinking that primary bard gives attack speed where as adding Secondary bard at attack power to that as well. So if you would roll bard/bard your buffs would be better for damage. 

Or bard/cleric gives attack speed and 2% health healed per hit. 

These are the type of bard mechanics I am expecting.

Each augment adding a small modifier to the main group buff? That seems possible. Attack speed, damage, heals, defence, accuracy increase, crit chance.... endless possibilities!

ArchivedUser

I'm not a bard, I'm the one the bards will be singing about! 

But on a more serious note it will all depend on how they are to play, they definitely sound interesting and although I like the look of Tank and Cleric more than Bard it sounds like a class that could have some cool effects when it comes to the secondary class and buff/CC potential.

ArchivedUser

As long as I'm not  pressing A A, B B, C C over and over again to twist songs, I will be a happy bard

ArchivedUser

AutumnWillow said:

TheTasteOfInk said:

If they don't make the pun about using an axe (electric guitar) as an axe, I'm going to be disappointed.

Maybe for a Bard/Tank.

Because he'll be into heavy metal...

A Bard/Tank is known as a Bank. 

A Tank/Bard would be a Tard. 

It's in @tugowar 's thread, so it's canon.

ArchivedUser

Wreyna said:

As long as I'm not  pressing A A, B B, C C over and over again to twist songs, I will be a happy bard

oh gods... song twisting... please no... 

ArchivedUser

Wreyna said:

As long as I'm not  pressing A A, B B, C C over and over again to twist songs, I will be a happy bard

If you can play bard with anything else than those dance pad things I will be very disappointed...

ArchivedUser

Julemanden said:

Wreyna said:

As long as I'm not  pressing A A, B B, C C over and over again to twist songs, I will be a happy bard

If you can play bard with anything else than those dance pad things I will be very disappointed...

I'm guessing that will be the instrument of choice for the nimble Bard/Rogue.

ArchivedUser

I hope we'll get a chant which will be awesome and our 1 hard CC (don't want much CC) but I'd like our best chant to with our hard CC so that when we shout Ashes cool version of, I dunno, "Bharuk Khazad" from the Tolkien world.

ArchivedUser

Kratz said:

I hope we'll get a chant which will be awesome and our 1 hard CC (don't want much CC) but I'd like our best chant to with our hard CC so that when we shout Ashes cool version of, I dunno, "Bharuk Khazad" from the Tolkien world.

I'm not sure if you've ever played Vanguard.

Vanguard had the "make your own" song buff where, as you leveled up, you gained new components (melody, embellishments and lyrics)to "compose" to your buff song/chant in order to enhance, protect or heal your party

This allowed some flexibility in crafting your own buff chant. 

While still pretty passive, it was a something interesting way to add variation to the bard's chant. 

ArchivedUser

For some reason, when I think of Bard/Rogue, I get flashes of American Psycho in my head.

"Hey...do you like Huey Louis and the news?"
*sneakyslapchopattack*

ArchivedUser

AutumnWillow said:

Kratz said:

I hope we'll get a chant which will be awesome and our 1 hard CC (don't want much CC) but I'd like our best chant to with our hard CC so that when we shout Ashes cool version of, I dunno, "Bharuk Khazad" from the Tolkien world.

I'm not sure if you've ever played Vanguard.

Vanguard had the "make your own" song buff where, as you leveled up, you gained new components (melody, embellishments and lyrics)to "compose" to your buff song/chant in order to enhance, protect or heal your party

This allowed some flexibility in crafting your own buff chant. 

While still pretty passive, it was a something interesting way to add variation to the bard's chant. 

Nah, never played it but what a cool idea. I just hope the Dwarf buff chant will be voiced by Brian Blessed.

ArchivedUser

Kratz said:

AutumnWillow said:

Kratz said:

I hope we'll get a chant which will be awesome and our 1 hard CC (don't want much CC) but I'd like our best chant to with our hard CC so that when we shout Ashes cool version of, I dunno, "Bharuk Khazad" from the Tolkien world.

I'm not sure if you've ever played Vanguard.

Vanguard had the "make your own" song buff where, as you leveled up, you gained new components (melody, embellishments and lyrics)to "compose" to your buff song/chant in order to enhance, protect or heal your party

This allowed some flexibility in crafting your own buff chant. 

While still pretty passive, it was a something interesting way to add variation to the bard's chant. 

Nah, never played it but what a cool idea. I just hope the Dwarf buff chant will be voiced by Brian Blessed.

The music composition idea sounds a lot better than it actually played out (no pun intended). 

But yeah, that idea was interesting even if the eventual implementation was still just 1 slightly flexible buff that you kept on most of the time.  

ArchivedUser

There's been some talk about class utility - like rogues being necessary to disarm traps, needing a mage to clear debris, etc.  What if bards had a chance to access all of the other class' utilities via charmed enemies?  Maybe they could not only trick enemies into fighting one another, but also fool them into unlocking doors, unveiling hidden treasure, revealing secret passages, etc?

I mean, who better to help you get the most out of a dungeon than it's own denizens?